Hope Guru Gabby Bernstein's Philosophy on Miracles
Gabrielle Bernstein, a self-described “spirit junkie” and leading motivational speaker. (Photo: Instagram)
Thanks to the beauty brand, Philosophy, I had a front row seat at last night’s #hopeneverrests talk with motivational speaker and wellbeing ambassador Gabrielle Bernstein in Manhattan. As someone who had never heard of the Oprah-endorsed self-described “spirit junkie” before, I felt guilty for taking that coveted seat. They had to turn away the last 40 people — including those who RSVP’d — who waited outside in freezing temperatures to see the bestselling author.
“I’ve read her book and I follow her YouTube channel,” my seatmate, a production assistant in her 20s, told me. A few young women sitting around me mentioned that they did her weekly meditations and workshops. “She changed my life. She gave me hope,” my seatmate remarked. “We’re so lucky to be here.” The packed auditorium was full of stylishly dressed women — and a dapper man here and there — sharing their stories of how they became introduced to “Gabby.” I sat quietly in the minutes leading up to Bernstein’s arrival to the stage, waiting for my first Gabby story.
35-year-old Bernstein leapt onto stage in a red knitted sweater and a black mini skirt. Her blonde curls bounced, her voice lilted, and if she didn’t manage to lock eye contact with everyone in the room, I can guarantee that no one in the room stopped looking at her. Like all successful motivational speakers, Bernstein is incredibly charistmatic, but what makes her so appealing to young women is that she’s the kind of life coach that Carrie Bradshaw would have sought back in the ‘90s when she was in debt (with a closet full of Manolos). Bernstein, a former theatre major at Syracuse, follows in the tradition of Marianne Williamson, the Grand Dame of spiritual gurus whose quotation, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure,” is oftentimes misattributed to late South African president and anti-apartheid revolutionary Nelson Mandela. But while 63-year-old Williamson speaks with the authority of the Oracle of Delphi, Bernstein has a more perky, big sister vibe. “I’m so proud of you, babe,” she told one audience member. “I love you, babe,” she told another audience member who was eating it up.
Gabrielle Bernstein speaking at Philosophy’s #hopeneverrests event. (Photo: Instagram)
At last night’s talk, Bernstein shared her “six steps for manifesting desires and dreams.” “Manifesting” is a word that she uses throughout her talk — you are what you become, so live fully in the present, she preaches, urging the audience to pray for what they want, regardless of their status of religion. Religion is superfluous as long as you have faith, she concedes. My life may not have been changed after one night with Bernstein, but her method has been transformational for so many people. If you want to give it a go, here are her six steps for manifestation:
Call your crazy by the name.
“That crazy is fear,” Bernstein said. “And fear devours hope. We screw up our manifestations by thinking they have to be just one way.”
Live with hope and no fear.
“Repeat this: I live with optimism and I renew with hope,” she said. “I choose to see hope and I’m open to creative possibilities.”
Clarify your hopes and dreams.
Bernstein made a lot of “vision boards” when she was starting out in her career. For example, when she wanted a story written about herself in The New York Times, she pasted a story about food bloggers that was in the same vein on her vision board. Then, she got on the phone and called her one contact from the newspaper. Seven months later, he called back.
Be that magnet for miracles.
Bernstein said that when she was single in her 20s and fretting about her friends getting engaged, she would stand on street corners and imagine herself holding hands with her beloved, whoever he may be. “I’ve always been a little slower,” she joked. And in 2012, she got engaged in Paris.
Ask for a sign and then chill out.
Bernstein and her husband were looking to buy an apartment in New York City, but unfortunately they couldn’t find one within their price range in their preferred neighborhood. “Our broker took us to an apartment in Brooklyn that smelled like piss,” she told us. Laughter erupted around the room. Bernstein and her husband spontaneously decided to look for a house in the country — and before long, they found a beautiful house at the top of a mountain in upstate New York. Bernstein said she knew it was the right house because her medium (a psychic) told her to look for a sign.
Glow.
Is this a skin care tip for realizing your dreams? No. Bernstein wants you to be “the happiest girl at the office!” But what if you have a bad day? An audience member stood up to ask this question. “I’m less concerned about how often you are happy,” Bernstein said. “I’m concerned about your comeback rate.”
At the end of the talk (which concluded with Kundalini meditation and chant), everyone wrote down their hopes and plastered them onto a Philosophy vision board near the exit. “I hope…to always choose love. I hope…to find true love and for my son to be happy and find inner peace. I hope… that you put yourself first.”
I jotted down notes and rushed home to Brooklyn to catch President Barack Obama’s last State of the Union address on my laptop. Eight years ago, in the spring of 2008 when Obama was just campaigning for the presidency, my AP Government teacher in high school, John Near, told an audience of politically apathetic 17-year-olds more worried about their SAT scores than the future of the country: “People are accusing Obama of instilling false hope into me. Now, regardless of your political inclinations, I daresay that there is no such thing as false hope. Hope is hope.” Some of us voted for the first time that November. One year later, Near died of cancer, and he spent his last few months not skydiving or mountain climbing or whatever you’re supposed to do when your end is a set date, but teaching my class about the past, present, and future. “What a great time to be alive!” he’d say, his voice slowly fading over the days as the cancer spread to his vocal chords. “What a great time to hope. What a great life of miracles you will all witness.” Near didn’t live to see Obama win the presidency, but after watching last night’s SOTU, I had a better idea of what Bernstein was trying to get across: If we are seeking miracles in our lives, hope is what lights the path.
Related:
Gwyneth Paltrow Talks Makeup, Her Wellness Philosophy, and Her Biggest Beauty Regrets
